Q COSTA RICA – While visiting an aunt and uncle in the exotic countryside of Costa Rica, a young Southern Belle from Alabama accepted a ride on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a charismatic local farmer. That ride would propel her into history-literally.
Henrietta Boggs (b. 1918), originally from Birmingham, Alabama fell in love with and in 1941 married Jose “Don Pepe” Figueres Ferrer, who helped install democracy in Costa Rica in 1948. Ferrer had condemned the corruption and communist influences in the sitting Costa Rican government and was arrested and imprisoned.
He and Henrietta, were forced into exile in Mexico only to return two years later with plans for a revolt. Ferrer led the successful revolution. When it ended, Don Pepe became Costa Rica’s president and is hailed as the Father of Democracy in Latin America, Henrietta became the 1st First Lady of Costa Rica.
They had two children, Muni and José Martí, before the marriage ended in divorce in 1952.
“You don’t let things happen. You shape them. ” Henrietta Boggs First Lady of the Revolution
First Lady of the Revolution, a feature-length documentary film from Spark Media, is the remarkable story of Henrietta Boggs, who fell in love with a foreign land and the man destined to transform its identity. Her marriage to José ‘Don Pepe’ Figueres in 1941 led to a decade-long journey through activism, exile and political upheaval, and ultimately, lasting political reform.
Her story begins in 1940 when Doña Henrietta received a postcard from an aunt and uncle who had settled in Costa Rica after living in several Latin American countries. After falling in love with the postcard, the audacious young Henrietta started one of her many astounding life journeys, literally following the card to Costa Rica.
First Lady of the Revolution is not only a depiction of the momentous struggle to shape Costa Rica’s democratic identity; it’s also a portrayal of how a courageous woman escaped the confines of a traditional, sheltered existence to expand her horizons into a new world, and live a life she never imagined.
First Lady of the Revolution premiered at Sidewalk Film Festival on August 27, 2016 and won three awards, including the Audience Award for Best Alabama Film. The documentary also won an Award for Excellence from IndieFEST 2016, Jury Award – Honorable Mention, Sidewalk Film Festival, 2016, winner of three TIVA-DC Peer Awards, and Audience Choice Award, Fairhope Film Festival.
First Lady of the Revolution Trailer HD
Upcoming Screenings:
- Brattleboro, Vermont – 2017 Women’s Film Festival, March 12, 2017 (12:00 pm)
- San Jose, Costa Rica – Cine Magaly, March 21, 2017 (8:30 am)
- San Jose, Costa Rica – Cine Magaly, March 28, 2017 (8:30 am)
- Hagerstown, Maryland – 2017 Maryland International Film Festival, April 1, 2017 (11:45 am)
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina – 2017 RiverRun International Film Festival, April 4, 2017 (5:00 pm)
- Winston-Salem, North Caroline – 2017 RiverRun International Film Festival, April 6, 2017 (1:30 pm)
- Washington, DC – Embassy of Argentina, May 18, 2017 (6:00 pm)
Click Here for more upcoming screenings of the film!
